Sailing the Wine-Dark Sea: Maritime Archaeology of the Ancient Mediterranean

Catalog description

Why do we care about shipwrecks? What can sunken sites and abandoned ports tell us about our past? Focusing primarily on the archaeological record of shipwrecks and harbors, along with literary evidence and contemporary theory, this course examines how and why ancient mariners ventured across the Mediterranean's "wine-dark seas" (as Homer described them) for settlement, travel, warfare, pilgrimage, and especially commerce. We will explore interdisciplinary approaches to the development of maritime contacts and communication from prehistory through the end of Mediterranean antiquity, with particular emphasis on the last millennium BCE and CE. At the same time, we will engage with practical techniques of maritime archaeology, which allows us to explore the material record first-hand.